Cat Video Festival Draws Over 10,000 Fans

Marshall Honorof

New member
Feb 16, 2011
2,200
0
0
Cat Video Festival Draws Over 10,000 Fans


People love watching funny cat videos, even when they have to gather in person.

OK, guys. I get it. I really do. Cat Video Festival [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118383-Internet-Cats-Get-a-Film-Festival] is any indication, though, the internet's collective feline fascination isn't going anywhere. On August 30, 2012, over 10,000 cat ladies and gentlemen gathered at the Walker Art Museum to sample some of the finest kitty videos available online in ten different categories.

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota and its gargantuan lawn are no strangers to outdoor events, although it has probably never hosted anything quite like the Cat Video Festival before. In front of a crowd of thousands, the center screened dozens of carefully culled videos from categories including Comedy, Foreign, Animated, Musical, and Art House, and handed out awards ranging from People's Choice to Lifetime Achievement (leaving aside how a first-ever event could award such a thing). Some of the entries that made the final cut included "Slow Motion Kitten," "Dubstep Cat," and, fittingly, "The Internet is Made of Cats." Ultimately, cat enthusiast William Brandon took home the coveted Golden Kitty award for his existential French drama, "Henri 2, Paw de Deux [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q34z5dCmC4M]."

More than anything else, the Cat Video Festival is a demonstration of the power and ubiquity of internet culture. An exhibition that, by all rights, should not work, ended up drawing a bigger crowd to an art museum in one night than it would likely see in a week. The event's success almost guarantees a second Cat Video Festival, so all of you cat people [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzvm8k5kSjs] out there can keep your eyes peeled and claws sharpened for that one. I'm going to sit on a stoop with a dog while we make funny faces at each other. Maybe someone will turn it into a video.

Source: Walker Art Center [http://media.walkerart.org/pdf//Catvidfest%20Event%20Release%204.pdf]

Permalink
 

Evil Smurf

Admin of Catoholics Anonymous
Nov 11, 2011
11,597
0
0
DVS BSTrD said:
No kitten man, so fuzzy!
I need to get there. I love cats.
<spoiler=teh fuzzeh>http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee432/IntoTheCaramelFrappe/FluffyKittyGIF.gif
 

Rainboq

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2009
16,620
0
41
Somewhere, I imagine Susan jumping in glee.

OT: Not at all surprised, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner :p
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
19,316
0
0
I want a statement from Susan Arendt.

That said, OMG KITTIES YAY BEST FILM FESTIVAL EVER
 

Evil Smurf

Admin of Catoholics Anonymous
Nov 11, 2011
11,597
0
0
Orks da best said:
well, were done, if cats can do this, were doomed. Doomed I say!
http://www.lolcatbible.com/images/b/b5/Soitbegins.jpg
Basement Cat is coming!
 

RJ 17

The Sound of Silence
Nov 27, 2011
8,687
0
0
The reason the internet loves cats is because cats are 100% bat-shit insane. Dogs are only half as crazy, that's why dog videos aren't as popular.
 

Susan Arendt

Nerd Queen
Jan 9, 2007
7,222
0
0
lacktheknack said:
I want a statement from Susan Arendt.

That said, OMG KITTIES YAY BEST FILM FESTIVAL EVER
Official statement: AWWWWWW, YEAH!

In all seriousness, this makes me happy for a variety of reasons. Most superficially, I personally enjoy funny cat videos and I'm glad to see them being recognized in some way. (It was also mildly embarrassing how many of the nominees I recognized just from a still frame.) But in a more wide-reaching sense, I'm really encouraged to see people gathering in such large numbers to celebrate something simply because it makes us happy. There is so much negativity, cynicism, and hate in the world, it seems, especially in internet culture, and so to see thousands of people coming together for something positive is really encouraging. Cute cat videos are pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things - they won't unite nations, solve the energy crisis, or cure disease. But they can make us happy, if only for a few moments.

I feel much the same way about videogames. Life is hard. Life does its best to kick you in the shins on a daily basis, and something that lets you escape that constant onslaught - if only briefly - has value. To be able to share that freedom, that escape, is one of my greatest joys. So, yes, I post cute cat (and dog!) pictures on Twitter and I preach the gospel of gaming, because I believe that both have the ability to make life better.